The Unveiling: A Mother’s Reflection on Murder, Grief, and Trial Life

Ruth Markel

Sep. 2022 · Post Hill Press

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Ruth Markel is the mother of the late Dan Markel, a noted law professor who was murdered in Tallahassee, Florida in 2014.

 

In The Unveiling, she describes her experiences since the day of Dan’s death from several distinct perspectives:

• As a devastated mother with the unique human perspective of becoming a homicide survivor and victim.

• As a woman whose attempts to achieve normalcy and live a healthy life are continually interrupted by painful reminders, a rollercoaster of hearings, frequently changing trial dates, verdicts, and appeals.

• As an engaged citizen using what she has learned to help other victims of homicide and violent crimes recover from trauma and begin an optimistic outlook on life.

• As an insider who shows how our collective network of family, friends, and experts—including a murder coach—have helped her family remain involved, motivated, and hopeful.

• As a grandmother who had not been allowed to see her grandchildren in many years, she used advocacy to inspire the Florida State Legislature to pass a grandparent visitation bill.

• And as an experienced author of nine books using the written word to effectively address the shift from grief to promise.

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Ruth Markel is a noted author, public speaker, and the president of RNM Enterprises, a leading management consulting firm. She has worked in senior management positions in both private and public sectors for the past forty years. Ruth has lectured on issues concerning negotiation and advancement in organizations at the University of Toronto, the London Business School, and Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University.)

In addition to several TV and radio appearances, Ruth’s published work includes:

Moving Up: A Woman’s Guide To A Better Future At Work (HarperCollins Publishers, 1988), Room At The Top: A Woman’s Guide To Moving Up In Buisness (Penguin Books Canada, 1985), Der Weg Nach Oben (Econ, 1987), L’Art De Negocier (La Presse, 1988), Une Place Au Sommet (Les Editions La Presse, 1986), Le Defi D’une Carrier (La Presse, 1987), S’affirmer Pour Evoluer (La Presse, 1988), Comment Gerer (La Presse, 1987), Karriere 1st Weiblich (Rowohlt, 1999).

Due to the circumstances surrounding the unforeseen murder of Ruth’s son Dan Markel, she has appeared on 20/20 ABC, Inside Edition, CourtTV, and Dateline NBC, and participated in the hit podcast Over My Dead Body, by Wondery. With support from Dan’s friends and extended networks, Ruth’s efforts successfully changed Florida’s restrictive grandparent visitation statutes to provide access to courts for other families facing terrible circumstances. 

Ruth hopes to use her platform and the media coverage that is inevitable around the trial and the publicity of Dan’s case to make sense of, provide consolation and counsel about a horrific and powerlessness situation.

Homicide doesn’t discriminate. It spans race, religion, socio-economic, and public status. People are hungry for these stories, as evidenced by dedicated True Crime conversations around the world (CrimeCon, CrimeFest, Death Becomes Us) and a proliferation of new shows, podcasts, and online communities interested in following these cases.

“As Danny’s mother, I have been a prominent figure, but I have never told my full story to the public before now,” Ruth writes. “That, combined with the keen interest in Danny’s murder and the popularity of true crime in general, convinces me that my story will help others through the experiences of their grief from murders, victims of violence and grandparent alienation.”